Treasure
by Jochamon
Summary: Watanuki is tortured by an old bully from middle school, and it definitely isn't a ghost. If there was a 3rd genre, it would be Romance...well, not too much of it, some implied Douwata. and if there was a 4th genre...it would be humor. R&R!


Watanuki coughed as he opened the closet door. It was used as a futon closet, just in case someone was to stay over. However, since he didn't have a lot of friends it hadn't been used in years. Dust had covered some areas, and when the fresh air hit the cramped space, the small particles came at Watanuki like swarms of bugs. For someone who cleaned a lot, it was sad that he never cleaned the closet.

As he swept the dust off the large shelves, he noticed a loose board on the wall. He put the dirty rag on the floor and reached to removed the suspicious board. As he pulled it away, a small wooden box popped out, surprising Watanuki. He grabbed the box, got out of the cramped closet and sat on the floor. Watanuki stared at it for a few minutes, almost afraid to open it. As he carefully opened the box, he saw a piece of paper that had colored with age. He grabbed it and read what it said.

"_HAPPY BIRTHDAY! IT'S APRIL 1__ST__!_

_FROM YOUR LOVING HUSBAND_

_P.S. SEE? I DIDN'T FORGET. I DESERVE SOME PROPS FOR THAT._

_ON ANOTHER NOTE, KIMIHIRO IS GETTING BETTER AT BAKING CAKES, SO EXPECT TO TASTE SOMETHING DELICIOUS FROM HIM. AND YES, I BAKED A CAKE FOR HIM. I CAN'T LET HIM BAKE A CAKE FOR HIMSELF…THAT WOULD BE RUDE."_

Oh, god…

For a long time, Watanuki sat there, reading and rereading the letter. His hear beat faster every second. It hurt so much, he had a hard time breathing. Tears slowly formed, but he all but blinked them away.

"This letter…my father…he wrote this…"

Finally snapping from his thoughts, he completely forgot about what was inside the box. As he put the letter to the side, he took a peak into the box. It was a small crystal necklace. It was a green crystal (with some purple is some areas), almost the exact same color as his mother's eyes. Gold was curled around it. He held it close to him, happy that he found something that belonged to his mother. He grabbed his father's letter and got up. He walked up to his small shrine of his parents near the corner of the room, and displayed the items there.

"Perfect…"

------------------------------------------- ONE YEAR LATER

"Happy Birthday, Watanuki!"

"Ah…thank you, Yuuko-San. But…my birthday is until Wednesday…"

"I know it's only two days away, but still!"

"Well…I'm glad that you are excited…I guess."

"I definitely should be. That is the time when you will serve me the best Sake that I have available."

"YOU JUST WANTED AN EXCUSE TO DRINK??"

When Watanuki got out of the shop, he saw Doumeki standing in front of the gate. It didn't surprise Watanuki, since he always met up with him in front of the store almost every morning.

"Sigh…I know I should be used to this, but I still think that you waiting for me is embarrassing."

"I don't find it embarrassing."

"That's because you're not normal. Every single time, I feel like a girl who is meeting up with his boyfriend."

Doumeki stopped walking, causing Watanuki to stop and look back at him.

"Eh? What is it?"

Doumeki reached out his hand, his palm facing upwards.

"If you want, we could hold hands."

His cheeks burned like boiling hot lava.

"YOU HAVE ONE SICK SENSE OF HUMOR!!"

--------------------------------

As they reached the gate of his school, Watanuki's stomach tightened. His blood went cold, and he felt a cold sweat going down his forehead. He immediately grabbed onto Doumeki's shirt and sped walk to the shoe lockers, dragging a confused Doumeki with him.

"O-Oi, what are you doing?"

"N-Nothing! Just wanted to speed up. We don't want to be late for class, right?"

"We still have time…"

"WATANUKI KIMIHIRO? IS THAT REALLY YOU?"

Watanuki stopped dead, cursing his bad luck. He turned around, and with all his strength, managed to give the person a fake smile.

"M-Moru-kun…it's been a long time. What are you doing here? Don't you go to a different school? "

"I do. I'm just visiting a few friends. Hey, guys! Come over here! This is the guy that I was telling you about. One of the Seven Wonders himself."

Doumeki tapped on his shoulder.

"Seven Wonders?"

Watanuki growled.

"It was back in Middle School."

Moru kept on talking.

"This guy right here. I have known him since Middle School. All three years! There were moments where he would scream so loud, and run as fast as he could. Some of the time, he was on the floor, grunting and yelling 'GET OFF ME! GET OFF ME!' when really, there was nothing on him."

"W-Well, Moru-kun…the past is the past. In truth, I really wanted to forget those middle school years."

"Haha, well…I wouldn't blame you…those were some horrible moments. How many times did you go to the infirmary again?"

"Ah, well, I lost count! If you don't mind, I want to make it to class. Let's go, Doumeki."

"IT WAS GREAT SEEING YOU AGAIN! WE SHOULD HANG OUT AGAIN…LIKE OLD TIMES."

"Sorry, Moru-kun…but I'm not interested. How about you go and pick on someone else. They would probably have a more interesting time than me."

Before Moru could say anything else, the rushing students had already entered the building.

Doumeki was the first one to talk.

"So…an old friend?"

"DON'T BRING UP THAT DAMN BASTARD EVER AGAIN."

"I guess not."

-------------------------------------------------

April first had finally came. He decided to stay at his place the night before. He promised his neighbors that he would visit them in the morning so that they could give him gifts. As he promised, he stayed at his place, and was going to head out to his neighbors' apartment before he headed to class. He was in such a happy mood, he did all of the things he usually does in the morning more quickly and cheerfully.

Get up.

Wash up.

Cook breakfast and lunch.

Get everything packed.

Head to school.

As he headed to the exit, he went to his parents' shrine and smiled.

"Happy Birthday, Mother…alright, I'm off." As he was getting back up, he noticed the colorful crystal placed right next to the incense sticks. He had always wanted to wear it, even if it was his mother's. However, he was always afraid that he was going to lose it.

But…

He felt like he was ready to wear it. He felt he wanted to celebrate his birthday with his mother, and wearing it was the best way he could do that. He grabbed the necklace and put it around his neck. He left the apartment and headed towards his neighbors' doors.

-------------------------------------------

Watanuki quickly headed towards school to try and outrun the spirits, and for the first time in a long time, he really didn't care that the ghosts were following him. He wanted to enjoy the day. He knew that Yuuko was planning a party. He also knew that Kohane-chan was invited as well, so he was really excited to see what recipes she had learned.

He was ready to pass the school gates when someone called out to him.

"Hey, Watanuki-kun!"

His blood went cold. He slowly looked up.

"M-Moru-kun…"

"Hey…so…do you mind if we…talk…for a little bit?"

"N-No…I have class soon, I…don't have the time to…"

Moru walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, it will be quick."

Watanuki felt someone grab both of his arms from behind and pulled them back. He cringed, and tried to wiggle his way out of the man's grasp. He was shoved, being led to a place away from the crowd of students.

Watanuki was afraid.

He didn't know what was going to happen to him.

He didn't even know what he did to anger Moru. He was trying to remember what he had done, what he had said, but he couldn't remember…what did he do?

He was lead to a small wooded area. Right next to it was a steep cliff. For some reason, Watanuki knew where this place was, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Watanuki-kun. It's been so long since I had a chance to talk to you alone."

"Oh, god. Are you going to rape me?"

"NO, I'M NOT!"

"Oh, thank god…"

"Get this through your skull…I ONLY LOVE WOMEN!"

"Alright, alright. So, what? You just brought me here to scare me? Well, I got news for you. I'm not that shy little boy anymore. I'm not going to cower in the corner while you make fun of me."

"Hmm…well, you sure are different than the last time I saw you. Even one of your eyes have a different color. It seems like I have to go through a different approach."

He walked to Watanuki, and quickly, and painfully, punched Watanuki in the gut.

He doubled over. His knees went weak, but he was still being held from behind.

"So…Watanuki…your birthday is today, right? What did you get? Money? If you did, hand it over."

"I don't have any money, you dolt."

"Hmm, well you have to have something on you…oh, what's this?"

He saw the crystal that he had around his neck. He grabbed it and yanked it from his neck. Watanuki gasped from the pain of the string burning his skin.

"N-No…give that back…!"

"Ah, so this is important to you. Who gave it to you? Was it your boyfriend from the other day? How sweet."

"No, you son of a…it's my mother's! Please, give it back!"

"Oh, so you're a mama's boy. This seems like it's very expensive. What did your mother have to go through to buy this for you? Probably, sell her body."

"Shut up…don't talk about her like that! She was not a prostitute!"

"Either way, I'm not interested in this worthless thing. I'll just…"

He brought his hand back, and just like throwing a baseball, threw the crystal down the cliff.

"…throw it away."

Watanuki's heart dropped. His eyes widened as he saw the necklace fall straight down into another wooded area below. His body shook, his throat tightened, and his stomach turned.

_Mother…!_

His body suddenly moved by itself. His vision blocked by rage. He stepped on the man's foot. He grabbed a thick branch and whacked him in the face, leaving him unconscious. Moru was surprised when Watanuki suddenly punched him in the face. He landed on top of him, and kept on punching him.

"IT WAS MY MOTHER'S!! IT WAS THE ONLY THING THAT I HAD TO REMEMBER HER BY! SHE IS DEAD, DAMMIT! DEAD! BOTH OF MY PARENTS ARE DEAD! I DON'T HAVE A LOT TO REMEMBER THEM BY! I DON'T WANT TO FORGET! THAT NECKLACE…WAS ALL THE ONLY THING I HAD! I WANT TO….REMEMBER….YOU BASTARD! BASTARD!"

Watanuki felt someone grab him from behind. He was lifted off from the ground. He tried to break free from the person's grasp. He flailed, he kicked, he screamed, but the person was really strong.

"Oi! Calm down, idiot!"

Watanuki didn't even ask how he found him. He didn't even scold him for calling him "Oi," instead of his name. It didn't matter to him. None of it mattered. He was too enraged and heartbroken. Part of him wondered if this was what it felt like when his parents died.

"D-DOUMEKI! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM!!!!"

It took Doumeki an hour to restrain Watanuki.

---------------------------------------------

Everything was a complete blur. Watanuki didn't remember how he got to Doumeki's shrine. All he felt was rage, but after a while, he was drained and completely soulless.

Hah…what a day. Happy Birthday.

The first thing that Watanuki felt when he was coming to was pain. He looked at his hands and noticed that they were bandaged. However, some red spots were seeping through. The second thing he noticed was his shirt. There was a blotch of red on it. Also the shirt was completely wide open. His stomach was also bandaged. He looked around, and noticed the sliding door open. He figured he was in Doumeki's room.

"Don't worry."

He almost jumped at the voice. He looked at him, and noticed that Doumeki was wearing the dark kimono that he would wear.

"Those two guys were arrested. They almost had you arrested for almost killing Moru, but I said it was self defense. You were captured after all."

"How did you find me?"

"Moru was an idiot for thinking that the back of the shrine was a secluded area."

No wonder that area looked really familiar to Watanuki.

After remembering what happened to his mother's crystal necklace, his heart gave a sharp, painful beat.

"D-Doumeki…my mother's necklace…he…threw it…"

Doumeki looked at him and gave Watanuki a surprised look. Tears started flowing from his eyes without knowing. Watanuki rubbed his face to dry away the tears that he couldn't control.

"It was…the only think that I had…of her…and now…I…have nothing."

He was embarrassed. He had never cried in front of Doumeki before. He really wanted to kick him out to leave him be. But then again, part of Watanuki wanted Doumeki to comfort him. He didn't know what to do, so he just kept on crying. He expected Doumeki to wait until he finished crying. However, he didn't expect Doumeki to reach out and hold him. It was one powerful hug. It was one of understanding and comfort, and that…just that…was all it for Watanuki to break down and hold onto him. He fisted the cloth on Doumeki's back, which was a bad idea, because his hands started to burn in pain.

After he calmed back down, Watanuki moved away. He looked at everything but Doumeki.

"I'm sorry…"

Doumeki was confused.

"For what?"

"I was planning on cooking some new recipes that I had learned…and now I can't. In fact, I don't think I will be cooking at all this entire week."

"We could always ask Kohane-"

"Oh, god, no! No! No! She is not going to slave in the kitchen for your black hole."

"Watanuki…"

"Yeah?"

"You hands need new bandages."

"OH, HOLY SHI--THERE'S BLOOD EVERYWHERE!"

Doumeki got a bowl of ice cold water and clean bandages. He grabbed Watanuki's blood-soaked hands and carefully peeled away the red bandages.

"Stop shaking. You're making it hard for me to help you."

"WELL, EXCUSE ME FOR BEING A LITTLE NERVOUS!!"

"What are you nervous for? It's not the first time you've seen so much blood."

"Shut up. You're not allowed to talk anymore."

As the minutes rolled by, Watanuki stared at their hands. Doumeki's rough fingers were warm and gentle. A huge contrast to Watanuki's soft fingers. It may have some scars from all the cooking he went through, but his fingers still managed to be soft. It was a bit strange, but Watanuki didn't find their joined hands really disturbing. Actually…it made him feel one-hundred times safer.

"…hmm…maybe holding hands isn't all that bad…"

Doumeki's hand stopped. Watanuki slowly looked up at him. Doumeki's face was filled with surprise, it almost made Watanuki laugh. If it wasn't for the hint of pink on Doumeki's face, Watanuki would have been crying with laughter. Watanuki replayed his words, and it was his turn to looked surprised.

"OH, DEAR GOD! T-THAT…I D-DIDN'T MEAN THAT! Oh man, I'm seriously not feeling well."

A few awkward minutes flew by until Doumeki spoke.

"Tomorrow, I'll hold your hand."

"DON'T YOU DARE DO THAT!"

----------------------------------- APRIL FIRST, 11:00 PM (school night, bad idea!)

"Open mine next, Watanuki-kun!" Himawari gave him a large bag. She placed it in front of him, and clapped.

"Wow, Himawari-chan…thank you." Watanuki smiled. He slowly brought up his bandaged hands and put them inside the large bag. He laughed when he saw what it was.

"It's the highest quality cooking utensils. They say that even the best chefs in the world use these."

"That…must have been very expensive…"

"That…is a secret…I must never tell the price of a present."

"My turn." Kohane raised her hand. She took out a neatly folded piece of paper and passed it to him. Watanuki unfolded it and read what it said.

"Oh! It's a recipe!"

"It's an old recipe that my grandmother gave me long ago. According to her, it was one of her grandmother's successful recipes that she had invented herself."

"Wow! That's…I don't know what to say…I'm really honored."

Kohane-chan grabbed a plate that was right next to her and placed it on the table.

"I practiced making it all week, so I want you to be the first to taste it."

"Well, Kohane-chan. I'm sure it will taste delicious."

Kohane smiled, a small tint of pink in her cheeks. Out of nowhere, a small box was shoved in front of his face.

"My turn."

"GAH! GEEZ, DOUMEKI! HOW ABOUT GIVING SOMEONE A PRESENT MORE POLITELY!"

"Open it."

"AH, YOU'RE SO RUDE! Fine, fine. I gladly take your present."

He grabbed it from Doumeki's hand, and, as calmly as he could, opened the small, white box.

His heart stopped. His hand went numb, and dropped the cover. He couldn't believe what was right in front of him. He didn't think it was possible that the item in front of him was real.

His mother's necklace…

How the hell did Doumeki find it? WHEN THE HELL DID HE HAVE THE TIME TO FIND IT? Was it when…Watanuki was knocked out on the futon all day…?

"It took me a while to find it. However, the wooded area down the cliff is smaller than it looks, so it wasn't really hard to find."

"Y-You…I can't believe…you…found this…"

Watanuki's hands were shaking. He wanted to scream…or cry, or…something, but nothing could even come close to expressing his great happiness at that moment. He looked up at Doumeki and gave him the biggest smile he could make.

"Th-Thank you…this means a lot to me…"

Doumeki didn't respond. In truth, it was really rare that Watanuki had thanked him and gave him such a large smile all at one time. How could he respond to that? He settled with quick, "no problem," and went back to his drink.

"ALRIGHT, EVERYONE," Yuuko's voice brought everyone's attention, "LET US ENJOY THE NIGHT BY TRYING KOHANE-CHAN'S COOKING!"

Everyone agreed. Kohane reheated her cooking and served them.

"Thanks for the meal!" Watanuki smiled, and grabbed his chopsticks. As he was about to grab the food from his bowl, the chopsticks fell from his hands.

"Ah…What the…"

He grabbed them again, but once again, they fell. Everyone looked at him with concern.

"Is something wrong, Watanuki-kun?" Himawari's voice spoke up.

"Ah…I can't hold my chopstick…"

"Huh," Yuuko's voice came up, "apparently, you're hands are a bit weak at the moment. It seems like you need someone to go and feed you."

"UWAH?? REALLY? Ahh…that sucks…"

Out of nowhere, Doumeki reached out and grabbed Watanuki's bowl and chopsticks. He picked up some of the food, and looked at Watanuki.

"Open wide…"

He turned beet red.

"THERE'S NO CHANCE IN HELL I'M GONNA LET YOU FEED ME!"

In the end, Kohane-chan ended up helping him, to Watanuki's request.


End file.
